


...And the Staff of Merlin

by angellwings



Series: ...And the Possibilities [4]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hypothetical Season 02, Magic, Romance, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-10 00:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4370288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Librarians are in a race to obtain a certain artifact before it falls into the wrong hands and Cassandra begins to learn more about Vivien's magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cold Open: Curator

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus points to the first person who can tell me what show I borrowed the Curator from! ;)  
> Happy reading guys!  
> angellwings

 

 

“Oh, Lovely,” the older man with a British accent said as a long box was handed to him across the counter. “Another gift from the French Ambassador?”

The young man standing opposite of him nodded and handed him the necessary forms to register the gift in their log book. The man accepted the forms and opened the case. His brow furrowed and he looked disgusted as he pulled a tall walking stick from the case. The wood it was made out of was knotted and mangled but in remarkably good condition and the round gem on top was easily recognized as Lapis Lazuli. It must have been a trick of the light but he could swear the stone glowed for a brief moment. He shook his head at himself. He was imagining things. 

The man sniffed snobbishly and shook his head. “I expect better of the French,” he said with a huff. “Where could I possibly display this _thing_?”

“I’m sure I don’t know, Mr. Thatch,” the young man told him. “There must be somewhere in the White House you can display a glorified cane.”

Before the other man could reply the young man turned and left.

“A glorified cane, indeed,” Mr. Thatch agreed as he placed the walking stick back in its case. “I’m sure it’s very old, but age does not a treasure make.” He fastened the metal case and made sure it was closed before he placed the item on a shelf in the back of the room. What on Earth possessed the French to give the gift of an old walking stick to the President of the United States? It was times like this that made being White House Curator seem like a pointless position. There was no dignity left in the art and artifacts donated for display. He found it particularly appalling for the French, who on the whole had always donated extraordinary items for display. There was no room in the White House where he could fit this _stick_ into the décor. It would have to be one of the few items that stayed in the collection room. He’d rather risk offending the French Ambassador than marring the time-honored décor of the White House.

* * *

 

It had been a week and a half since anyone had gotten a case in their clippings book or since the Big Clippings Book had reacted to anything. Ezekiel was going insane with boredom, Eve was enjoying the quiet as The Library had still not brought them another Guardian, and Flynn had gone off in search of some relic that was magical but unlikely to cause any trouble (no one could quite remember what that object was), and Jenkins was busy tinkering with various contraptions in his lab. 

Meanwhile, Jake and Cassandra were dealing with an entirely different dilemma. They’d found a quiet corner of the mezzanine where the Annex had created an alcove with a two person seat built into it. Cassandra had patted the wall in thanks while Jake had decided to ignore the fact that the Annex was seemingly privy to all of his secrets. Including his relationship with Cassandra, which by some miracle had yet to become public knowledge. For once, keeping a secret hadn’t been his idea.

He considered that growth.

Cassandra had suggested they keep things low key for a while to keep the pressure off. She felt like they would be in a fishbowl all the time and saddled with expectations and watchful eyes. For however short a time, she wanted it to be just between them. So far they’d managed two actual dates and two nights in without an interruption from any of their colleagues. But the cat was bound to get out of the bag sometime.

They needed to talk about it. That conversation is what led them to a secluded corner of the mezzanine. Cassandra reached over and laced her fingers through his and then rested her head on his shoulder as they both relaxed into the alcove the Annex had given them.

“This is nice,” she said with a contented hum. “The Library hasn’t been this quiet since—well… _ever_.”

Stone placed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Agreed, darln’. But we still have to talk.”

She whined and buried her head into his shoulder. “I don’t want to think about it.”

He chuckled at her. “We have to because we work with Ezekiel Jones. He tends to lurk.”

She grinned up at him and nodded in agreement. “This is true.”

“He’s gonna find out,” he told her. “It’s just a matter of time." 

She sighed. “I know. I just don’t want to go through all the things that come with everyone finding out. Ezekiel teasing us, Baird talking to us about maintaining professionalism, Jenkins's disapproving looks. The whole kit and caboodle—“

Jake chuckled at her. “Kit and caboodle? Really?”

“You got something to say, _darlin_ ’?” She asked with a playful glare as she attempted to imitate his accent.

He gave her an amused look before he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and grinned at her. “Please do not _ever_ do that again.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes at him. “I’m just saying, if you tease me then I tease you right back. Be prepared, Jacob.”

“Prepared? With you? I don’t know that that’s possible,” Jake said as he poked her side teasingly. She squirmed away from him slightly with a grin.

Her expression turned serious again and she bit her bottom lip nervously before she spoke. “So, what do you think we should do?”

“I think we should tell them as soon as Flynn gets back,” he answered honestly. “That way we tell them all at once and get it over with.”

“Oh! I like that!” She said brightly. “He’s away right now. That gives us a little more time alone!”

Jake grinned at her and glanced around the Mezzanine before placed a hand on her neck and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “And we’re certainly alone right now,” he said with a smirk as he leaned in toward her. She closed her eyes and leaned toward him as well, preparing for the kiss she knew was coming when suddenly the pocket of her cardigan felt hot. She jumped with a startled yelp which caused her and Jacob to bump heads. They both cried out in pain. Jacob winced and Cassie pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Ow,” Jacob said with a furrowed brow. “What was that?”

“Sorry! Sorry!” Cassie exclaimed frantically as she removed her hand from her forehead and pulled him closer to inspect his. “Are you okay?” She soothingly rubbed a hand across Jacob’s forehead.

“No permanent damage,” he replied as he brow relaxed and his gaze turned affectionate. “You?”

“Trust me, my head’s been through a lot worse than a little bump,” she said with a chuckle before she placed a brief kiss on his forehead.

“What happened?” He asked as they pulled apart.

“My pocket,” she said as she patted the cardigan pocket that rested on her hip. “Felt hot. Very hot. Like I had a burning coal in it.” She reached in the pocket and pulled out her miniature clippings book that was still glowing a bright shiny gold color. “I guess the quiet had to end some time,” she said with a sigh.

Jacob leaned toward her as she opened the book and as they both watched a clipping from a newspaper appeared across two pages. One page had a picture and a headline and the other had the rest of the article. The picture was of The President of the United States being handed a knobby old walking stick while smiling at the camera with the French Ambassador.

Cassie gasped suddenly and went rigid beside of him. The book fell to the ground with a thud and Jacob turned to face her immediately. Her eyes looked distant and out of focus and she wasn’t moving a muscle.

“Cassie?” He asked worriedly. “Cassandra? What’s happening, sweetheart?”

Her eyes closed and she slumped lifelessly back in the alcove. For a brief moment Stone felt panic rise in his chest. What the hell? This had never happened before. Had she hallucinated? Just as he was about to run to the stairs and call for Jenkins or Baird, Cassie sprang up and grabbed his arm. He nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise but it was almost immediately replaced with relief.

“The Staff of Merlin!” She yelled as she turned to look at him.

“What?” He asked in confusion.

She picked up the book and opened it again to the picture. She then jabbed her finger at the stick in the picture. “The Walking Stick is the Staff of Merlin! Viviane recognized it!”

He nodded and then turned a startled look on her. “ _Viviane_ recognized it? Is that what—did you just— _Cassandra_ , are you telling me that Viviane is still inside your head?”

She blushed at the worry in his tone and gave him a sheepish look. “Not _all_ the time. Just sometimes. And this is the first time she’s actually talked to me. Normally, there’s just a gentle _nudge_ in my head, if you will.” 

“Nudge?” He asked with a sigh. “And you didn’t mention this before because?”

“I—I didn’t know if it was a problem,” she said honestly. “I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

“Darlin’, I’d worry even if you didn’t have a legendary magical figure bouncing around inside of your head,” Jacob told her honestly as he took her hand in his. “Even if you didn’t have magic and even if our jobs weren’t dangerous. I’d worry. It’s one of the things I’m best at, unfortunately.”

She smiled warmly at him and kissed him on the lips slowly and tenderly before she pulled back to look him in the eyes. “I haven’t had any one worry about me in a very long time. I’ll have to get used to it again.” She glanced down at her clippings book and then back toward where she knew the stairs were. “We should tell the others. We need to get to that Staff before anyone else can. Surely, Dulaque and Morgan le Fay will know the Staff when they see it.”

Cassie stood up and walked briskly to the stairs that led down from the Mezzanine.

Jacob grinned at the thought of the impending adventure before he patted the wall of the Annex thankfully. “And we’re back. I love this job.”


	2. Act 01: The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra tells the team about what showed up in her mini clippings book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is kind of short but after posting 7 fics for 7 days I feel it's okay that this one be a little shorter than normal, lol. The real action will be in the next act! But this one does have some lovely emotions in it.   
> Enjoy!

 

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Eve exclaimed as Cassandra told them what she’d seen in her book. “ _The White House?_ You’re telling me we’re going to have to retrieve an item from _The White House_? We are _all_ going to jail.” She looked up at the ceiling of the Annex and shouted, “Is this fun for you? Do you enjoy making me break the law? Is that it?”

“A heist from the White House?” Ezekiel asked with obvious glee. “Now this is the kind of job I’m talking about! I have mentioned that I’m a world class thief, haven’t I?”

“When _don’t_ you mention it?” Eve asked him in irritation.

“We cannot afford to hesitate, Colonel Baird,” Jenkins said urgently. “If Dulaque or Morgan were to get their hands on this staff the world would most definitely end horribly and painfully.”

“So, your standard apocalyptic relic then?” Eve asked with a sigh. “Jones, take point on the heist. It’ll be you and me on this one. The fewer people we risk being arrested the better I’ll feel. Plus, I cannot keep my eyes on Jones and those two,” she said as she motioned to Stone and Cassandra.

“So, what do we do?” Cassandra asked with a huff. “You might need me if you run into Morgan or Dulaque.”

“Dulaque rarely does his own dirty work,” Eve reminded her. “And running into Morgan with you in tow is exactly what I’m worried about. She wants you dead, Cassandra. I’d like to avoid that confrontation as long as possible.”

“Besides,” Ezekiel said as he smiled gently at Cassandra. “A lighter heist is cleaner and faster. The fewer people the easier it will be to sneak in and out. Sorry, Cass.” Ezekiel then turned to Jenkins. “The Library wouldn’t happen to have blueprints of the White House, would it?”

“Actually,” Jenkins said with a smirk. “Here’s something funny…”

Jenkins and Ezekiel wondered off into the main Library and Eve quickly followed after them.

Cassandra huffed and sat down in her usual seat at the table. Jake sat down next to her and tried to think of something to say, but he found he didn’t disagree with anything Baird or Jones had said. He wasn’t quite sure what to say to make her feel any better.

“The clipping showed up in _my_ book, Jacob,” she told him with a huff. “Shouldn’t that mean I get to be more involved than this? The Library sent that to _me_ not Ezekiel and Colonel Baird.”

“Maybe it sent it to you because it knew you would recognize the Staff,” Jake offered.

Cassandra sighed. “Jenkins could have recognized the staff. If that’s all it was the clipping would have come up in the Big Book. But it didn’t. It came up in _mine_.”

“I don’t know what to say, Cassie,” Jake said honestly. “Baird and Jones are right. It’s best they handle obtaining the Staff. Of all of us, Baird’s the one that understands secure locations and Jones has experience with stealing items and getting around security.”

“Fine, since no one needs me,” she said in a clipped tone. “I’ll be in the Mezzanine practicing magic. I still haven’t managed to create a flame. Come and find me if you need me.”

“You—you don’t want me to go with you?” Jacob asked with a furrowed brow.

“I’d like to be alone, if you don’t mind,” she said stiffly as she stood and then briskly walked up the stairs.

Jacob sighed tiredly and shook his head. This was a no win situation for him. He glanced longingly at the art portfolios sitting on top of the card catalogue. He’d pulled them yesterday for whenever he had a spare moment. He could let Cassandra cool off for a bit and then check on her later, but upset Cassandra and fire and magic probably wasn’t a combination that should go unsupervised. He followed her up the stairs and found her sitting dejectedly in the alcove they’d left behind just a few minutes before. She had her mini clippings book open and was staring at the picture of the President and the Staff with a blank look on her face.

He scratched the back of his neck and quietly sat down next to her, trying to figure out what to say.

“Even with magic I feel absolutely useless,” Cassandra said softly as she stared down at the book. “Yes, I’ve still got math and science but no one needs me out on the cases for that. You can fight, Ezekiel has unique advantages, and Eve is the strategist. Why would you all need me along? Especially when Flynn is here. And then with Morgan out to get me, maybe…maybe it’s just better if I don’t---“

“Stop,” Jake said with a huff as he reached out and pried the clippings book from her hands. He placed a hand under her chin and brought her eyes to meet his before he continued. “What about the Labyrinth? Or the STEM Fair, or when we had to find Santa or the Dragons in Rome, or with the mummies or the House of Refuge or—“

He had more but apparently she’d heard enough. She smiled softly at him for moment before she interrupted him with a soft and grateful kiss on the lips. She pulled back and smiled at him again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said as he pressed his forehead to hers. “This is a transition period, Cass. You need more practice with magic and Baird needs help keeping all of us—not just you—safe. We’re still a team and we each still have a role to play. We just need to make sure it stays that way. You are useful. You’re always useful and _brilliant_. And, personally, I’d like you to stay that way.”

She smiled warmly at him. “You too. You need to stay safe too. You know.”

He nodded and caressed her cheek. “I do know. But feel free to remind me as often as you’d like, though.”

She laughed softly and the sound was music to his ears.

“Feel any better?” He asked.

She nodded and kissed him briefly. “Yes.” 

“Good. Do you still want to practice your magic?” He asked. “I could help.”

* * *

 

Ezekiel, Jenkins, and Eve had the White House schematics spread across one of the tables in The Library and they were studying all the ways in or out. Eve could tell them exactly where the cameras were and where Secret Service would be stationed. Jenkins was trying to figure out how he could specifically aim the Back Door.

“The hard part,” Ezekiel said. “Isn’t stealing the Staff. The special collections room in the White House is a joke. The hard part is getting _to_ the special collections room. The security to get through to that point requires clearance and badges. Which, given enough time, I could crack but we don’t have that kind of time.”

“So, we need the Door as close to the room as possible,” Eve told Jenkins. “There is a security check point here,” she said as she pointed to the hall adjacent from the special collections room. “And here,” she said as she pointed around the corner from the room. “And there is a guard stationed here,” she said as she pointed to a doorway. “Because that door leads to the West Wing. So we need to come out here,” she said as she pointed to a specific supply closet past all three obstacles. “If we can come out of that door we can be in and out in split second. And no one gets arrested by the Secret Service.”

Ezekiel laughed. “They had a hard time catching a civilian running through the back lawn. What makes you think they could catch me? _Ever?”_

Baird rolled her eyes. “Go ahead, underestimate them. But they have guns and training. You have quick hands and a smart phone. When pressed I’m betting on the gun and the training.”

“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” Ezekiel said with a smirk. “It touches my heart. Or it would if I had one.”

“Children, please,” Jenkins said with an exasperated sigh. “Mr. Jones, take a picture of the closet on the schematic, if you would. You’ll need to print it. If that’s possible to do from that bothersome device of yours.”

“It’s a smart phone,” Ezekiel said as he rolled his eyes. “Not a magic wand.” He leaned over the schematic, took the picture, and then pressed a few buttons on his screen.

“No, it is not. A wand had a very real purpose. As far as I can tell that ‘smartphone’ of yours does nothing but compromise privacy and personal security as well as distract people from the joys of life. It is a convenience that makes mankind lazy.”

“Because hiding from the world in a magical Annex to a magical Library and tinkering with relics while living like a classy hermit is so much better,” Ezekiel told him with a pointed glance. “It’s printed and should be waiting for us at the Annex.”

Jenkins huffed but said nothing to respond to Ezekiel. He left The Guardian and the Junior Librarian standing in the Library with the schematics and Eve gave Ezekiel a tired look.

“You could be nicer to him, you know,” Eve told him.

“I am nice to him. Besides, he started it,” Ezekiel told her.

“It doesn’t matter who starts it,” she told him. “It matters who takes the bait. And you, my young friend, always take the bait. Besides, by now you’ve learned that Jenkins doesn’t do well with change. He likes things a very particular way and he likes them to stay that way. Until we came along he had that. But we barged in with all of our changing Library rules and technology and noise and chaos and his whole world was essentially turned upside down. For as long as he’s lived, it’s probably at lot to take for a few months time. Just try and think about that every so often.”

“Again, if I had a heart that would—“

She smirked at him and then wagged a scolding finger. “That act will not work with me, Jones. You have a heart. You had a soft spot for Jamie when we were in Bremen, you cared for that kid from that vanishing village case a few weeks ago—“

Ezekiel swallowed thickly and glanced down at the floor as Eve abruptly cut off her own sentence. She cleared her throat awkwardly as she realized she’d hit a nerve.

“—and you would do just about anything for Cassandra.”

He looked up to protest but she gave him another meaningful look.

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t. She’s your _friend_ and from what I can tell the first one you’ve had in a while. You have a heart, Ezekiel. You should use it every so often. Unlike your last job, having a heart actually _helps_ during a case.” She patted the young thief’s shoulder sympathetically before she turned back to the table and rolled up the schematics they’d been studying.

Ezekiel watched her as she placed them carefully back in the tube they found them in and then placed them back on the shelf. He waited in silence until she turned to walk back toward the Annex and he followed her. It bothered him that The Guardian seemed to know him so well. It also bothered him that he’d let his guard down enough for her to see those things. He never let himself get used to a place. He never made a home. He didn’t need a home. He needed a challenge. He needed risk. He needed adventure. Settling somewhere never fit in with those things.

Until now.

Maybe what bothered him most was not that Colonel Baird saw those things, but that she was _right_. He did have a heart. The boy in the village had hurt him the most. He saw so much of himself in that kid and to not know if he was alive before they’d been forced to leave, to not be able to save him…

With Jamie he’d been able to help. Even with Cassandra he’d been able to help. Not the way Jake could but he did help. He _wanted_ to help. He actively wanted to care for these people and to make their lives better. As a professional thief, he’d never hurt anyone but he’d never helped anyone either. Until this job and these people.

He was more vulnerable now than he’d ever been because losing any one of these people would hurt like hell. It was probably something he should have realized before now and maybe he had on some level, but just now the full force of it hit him.

He had a team, and not just any team—or crew. He had a team he genuinely liked.

A team he didn’t want to leave.

It was a funny feeling, he thought, having something to lose.

* * *

 

Jenkins used the picture Jones took of the closet on the schematic to calculate where to send the door. By the time Eve and Ezekiel had gotten through he’d finished and was ready to set the door. None of them really knew where Cassandra and Stone were, they assumed they were some where in the Annex together but they didn’t have time to waste and Jenkins would be there to let them know they’d gone.

Ezekiel stopped in front of Jenkins as he spun the globe.

“Thank you, Jenkins,” Ezekiel said as he gave the older man a sheepish smile.

“For what, Mr. Jones?” Jenkins asked curiously.

Ezekiel shrugged as the door glowed and changed. “For everything…and nothing, I guess.”

Jenkins almost smiled at the younger man with a slight upward turn on his mouth but at the last minute he backed out of it and his lips formed a thin straight line instead. “I am here to serve the Library, Mr. Jones. This is what I do.”

They nodded at each other politely before the Colonel and Ezekiel opened the door and peered through.

Baird turned back to smile at Jenkins as she confirmed he’d correctly calculated the door’s location. She gave Jones a warning look before as they both stepped through the door with a jolt. “Jones, we are here for the staff and nothing more. Got it?”

He smirked and nodded. “Sure. If you say so.”

Jenkins smirked to himself as he closed the doors. He hoped _some things_ never changed. Once silence fell over the room again, his eyes fell on the pile of books he’d been studying earlier that day before Ms. Cillian had come barging down the stairs with her mini clippings book. He’d been putting off a certain chat he needed to have with the red headed junior Librarian in favor of researching. He wanted to make certain he was correct. Now he knew he was. Her mini clippings book sending her the clipping on the Staff had confirmed his theories. 

And with two of the four of his constant interlopers gone, this was the perfect time to finally have this chat.  It was, most likely, long over due.


	3. Act 02: A Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenkins has his chat with Cassandra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry this took so long to update, guys! I took a bit of a break after Librarians fanfic week. But I have now finished this chapter and I'm posting it before my usual day because you have all been so wonderfully patient! Enjoy!  
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

 

The candle Cassandra was focusing on sparked but a flame never materialized. She sighed and glared at the candle. “This is hopeless. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“It’s not hopeless. You can manipulate flame now. That’s something. You can make it jump from one candle to another,” He told her with an encouraging smile. “Why exactly are you so focused on creating fire anyway?”

“It’s useful,” she told him. “It doubles as something needed for survival and a weapon. Plus, I think if I can master one element then the others will fall into place.”

He nodded in agreement. “Makes sense. We’ll just have to keep practicing. You’re getting there. A spark is more than we were getting a couple of days ago.”

“At this rate I’ll barely be able to use this magic by…Christmas? This is taking too long,” she said with a huff.

“Cass, we all knew from the start that this would take time,” He told her.

“Yes, we did, but I don’t have that kind of—“ she stopped herself short of completing the sentence and the furrowed line on her brow relaxed. A slow smile spread across her face and she laughed lightly at herself.

“Time?” Jake asked knowingly. He grinned and laced his fingers through hers. “Sweetheart, you’ve got all the time in the world now. You’re not racing a clock anymore.”

She nodded and then squeezed his hand. “I know,” she said after a quiet moment. “I’m still not used to it. I’ve been facing down death since I was 15. That _grape_ was there for over ten years of my life. Sometimes I forget it’s gone. Sometimes, I’m—I’m afraid it will come back. That would have been a risk if it had been operable, you know?” She told him. “They could have removed it and bought me some time but the statistics on the cancer coming back after an operation are not very encouraging. So, after all my research and my years waiting around a hospital for any news of a new treatment or operation, having _magic_ remove the grape is a bit like…like a dream.” She paused and then smiled warmly at him as she motioned between them. “And then to top it all off _this_ happened. It makes me feel like I could wake up one day and all of this would be a cruel joke or something. You still wouldn’t trust me and the tumor would be waiting to kill me again. And _this_ , us and magic and the Lady of the Lake, would just be another one of my hallucinations.”

“I’m not a hallucination, Cass,” he told her as he led her back over to the nook the Annex had created for them. “I’m real, and I’m here. The tumor is gone and magic is real. And _you will_ learn to use it. You’ve already learned quite a bit in a short amount of time,” he told her. “Flynn and Jenkins always seem so impressed with you. But even if you never master it completely, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed,” he said he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him as they both leaned back in the seat. “If anything you’re the most successful of the three of us, Junior Librarians. I am better with my fists than with magic and Ezekiel with magic would be terrifying. But you…you’ll use it the way it’s meant to be used. To help people.”

“But I feel like Vivien trusted me with her magic and by not being able to use it the way she did I’m…I’m letting her down,” she said softly. “I don’t like disappointing people yet I seem to do that too often. I disappointed my parents and…you and teachers who thought I would go on to do all these extraordinary things—“

“You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself,” he said as he interrupted her. “You did nothing to deserve your parents disappointment. And, me, well I had my own issues that I projected on to you. Only a small percentage of that was you. And your teachers…Cassandra, you _are_ doing extraordinary things. Every day. You save the world twice before Friday every week. I’m sure your teachers meant a lot to you,” he told her. “Based on what I saw at that STEM fair you were the kind of kid who probably got along really well with educators, who loved learning as much as they did. But their opinion of who they _think_ you’ve become doesn’t change who you actually are. Cut yourself some slack, you always do the absolute best that you can and no one can ask for any more than that.”

She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. “Thank you. I needed that.” She relaxed against him and a comfortable silence fell between them for a moment before Cassandra finally said, “You should take some of your own advice, you know.”

“What?” He asked her with a furrowed brow.

“With your family,” she said as she caught his gaze. “I know you feel guilty for not being there.”

He started to speak up with a defensive expression and she held up her hand to stop him.

“I know you love it here and I know you’d rather be here than there, but I can see it sometimes. You feel guilty for being here living the life you’ve always wanted instead of being there helping with the family business. Even with this job you act like the world is on your shoulders sometimes,” she told him as she angled herself toward him and then leaned her back against the opposite corner of the nook. “I can only imagine that you must have been doing the same thing when you were running the family business and taking care of everyone. It’s hard to fight habit and instinct, Jacob. _I know._ But you don’t have to do that here. Not with us. You should relax and let us take care of you sometimes. Or just take care of  _yourself._ That's important too.” She smiled warmly at him and winked playfully before she repeated his own words. “Cut yourself some slack.”

The smile Jake aimed at her was full of so much affection and warmth that Cassie felt her heart literally skip a beat. Her stomach did a strange thing where it felt as if it were dropping completely out of her body and she swallowed thickly before taking a deep breath. He leaned forward and kissed her slowly and softly as if they weren’t in the public spaces of the Annex and as if they had all the time in the world to do nothing but kiss. He’d never kissed her quite like this. Not yet. This was brand new to her.  And she loved it.

“What was that for?” She asked as he pulled back from the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap and she, in turn, wrapped her arms around his neck.

He smiled softly at her and tucked a loose red wave behind her ear. “You’re the first person who’s ever said something like that to me. The first person to tell me it’s okay to do something for myself every now and then. I don’t know how you do it, but you always seem to understand the things I never tell you.”

She blushed and smiled at him in understanding. “You do that with me too, you know. You’ve always done that. But the way I see it, we’re here to take care of each other and I don’t just mean you and me. I mean all of us. Jenkins, Ezekiel, Colonel Baird, and even Flynn. None of us really have anyone else we share all of ourselves with so we should stick together and take care of each other. It should never fall to one person.”

Jacob nodded in agreement. His smile was bright and he looked so happy that his eyes were crinkling at the corners. She loved when his eyes did that. They didn’t do that often enough in her opinion.

“And for that,” he said as he leaned toward her. “I may have to kiss you again.”

“No objection here,” she said with a giggle as his lips met hers for a second kiss. 

This kiss was much more intrusive than the last one, more personal. There was so much of him in this kiss that it almost made her want to cry. For so long Jacob Stone hid himself from her, the team, and the world. Now she was starting to see the man he’d hid from her. The curtain fell away and she could see the person he wanted to be beneath everything he felt he _had_ to be. That sort of vulnerability was rare and she appreciated it more than he probably knew. For her part she held nothing back in her own kisses. If he wanted to get to know her, the real her, then she planned to let him. And kissing him with all she had in her was part of that.

* * *

 

Jenkins reluctantly made his way up the stairs to the mezzanine. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to have this talk with Cassandra. It would either go poorly or exceptionally well. There was no room for the middle road with her. The mezzanine of the Annex was a lot larger than it appeared so he decided to forego silently searching for Ms. Cillian and instead called her name loudly. It echoed through the Annex and he heard shuffling and a nervous squeak to his left, from the stacks past a small nook he'd never noticed before.

While he appeared as, what he was sure was, elderly to these young adventurers his senses were still very sharp. Sharp enough that he could hear frantic feminine whispers of “Get up, get up, get up!” and a frustrated sigh in response that most definitely belonged to Mr. Stone. Jenkins bit back an exasperated groan. There could be no doubt as to what he’d nearly walked in on. He should’ve known those two resolving their differences would lead to this. First The Librarian and his Guardian begin to…fraternize and now the Junior Librarians too. Yes, Mr. Carsen was a stellar example for these young Librarians to follow, Jenkins thought sarcastically as Cassandra and Stone came out from behind the stacks that were furthest away from him and headed his way.

“You called, Mr. Jenkins?” Cassandra asked as she tugged at her double layers of shirts to try and straighten them.

“We were uh—I was…helping Cassie practice magic,” Jake lied, very unconvincingly, as he ran a hand through his hair to put it back into place.

“Yes, magic,” Cassandra said with a flush. “That’s what we were doing.”

Jenkins chose to ignore their obvious lies and sighed tiredly in exasperation. “Ms. Cillian, you and I have much to discuss.”

Her brow furrowed at him. “We do?”

“Yes, regarding the Lady of the Lake that is currently living in your head,” Jenkins told her sternly.

“You knew about that?” Cassandra asked. “I didn’t even know about that until…”

“I didn’t know, but I suspected. Vivien is too powerful to fade from existence completely. But there’s more to it than that. More that you should know,” Jenkins told her before he paused and motioned for the stairs. “Shall we?”

Cassandra looked worried and scared. For a brief second he imagined that she must have worn a similar look on the day she found out about her diagnosis. Imagining a teenage Cassandra in a doctor’s office finding out her life was considerably shortened made his immortal heart hurt more than it had in years.

“You’re in no danger, Cassandra,” Jenkins assured her. He felt the comfort of her first name might ease some of her fears. By the way her posture relaxed it seemed he was right. “Not from what I’m about to tell you, at least.” She glanced briefly back at Jacob and in response he stepped further into her space. Jenkins resisted the urge to shake his head at the two of them. They could not be more obvious if they _tried_. “Mr. Stone can be present while we talk, if you wish.”

Both of the Junior Librarians breathed a sigh of relief and Cassandra reluctantly nodded. Jenkins led them both down the stairs and into his lab where he promptly shut the door behind them. Since his Annex had been invaded one could never be too careful when privacy was necessary.

Jenkins motioned for Cassandra and Stone to take a seat on the stools that sat opposite his counter and workspace. He waited for them to get settled. Cassandra shifted nervously until Stone briefly placed a hand on the small of her back. She stilled almost instantly.

Jacob huffed impatiently but kept his hand on Cassandra's back. “Are you gonna tell us what’s going on or are you pausing for dramatic effect?”

Jenkins quirked a brow at him. “Relax, Mr. Stone. I am merely waiting for Ms. Cillian to seem comfortable.”

“When any variation of ‘we need to talk’ is hanging over my head it is impossible to be comfortable,” Cassandra said with a sigh. “What’s going on?”

“I have been researching the Lady of the Lake and her various vessels over the centuries,” he told her again. “I wanted to make sure we were prepared for any complications and I didn’t want to make you anxious if you had no reason to be.”

“Did you find something to cause concern?” Cassandra asked nervously.

“Not necessarily. The situation is, for the most part, exactly as we thought it would be. However, you inherited more than just Vivien’s magic. She neglected to mention that part to you, it would seem,” Jenkins told her. “You also inherited her title. You _are_ The Lady of the Lake.”

Cassandra blinked at him in stunned silence for a long moment. “What does that mean exactly?”

“You have inherited the knowledge of Camelot and it’s treasures. It’s your job to protect them. As well as any former…residents of it. Provided they are peace loving. Certainly, Morgan and Dulaque are not among those you are to protect. You may find you have acquired knowledge you never truly studied, and occasionally Vivien may pop in to point you in the right direction. I can’t be sure of that. It seems her former vessels were never given a chance to inhabit their own bodies. They were suppressed in favor of Vivien,” Jenkins informed her.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Jacob said with a thoughtful glare. “Does that mean that if Vivien hadn’t been on her death bed she would have taken over Cassandra’s body?”

Jenkins looked thoughtful for a moment as he considered the roads not taken and the research he’d completed. “Based on precedence, I believe Ms. Cillian would have been trapped in her own mind and Vivien would have been the consciousness that remained. But that was not the situation the three of you encountered, thank goodness. And Vivien will not be able to regain her strength. Her time simply came to an end like any other living being.”

“Your time hasn’t come to an end, Mr. Jenkins,” Cassandra told him pointedly.

“I am a special case,” he said with a sigh. “I successfully completed a challenge that, had I known it’s spoils, I would not complete again. Living for centuries loses its charm when you realize it means living alone.”

He gave the two young librarians a momentarily honest and vulnerable expression as if he were trying to communicate something without words. Jacob and Cassandra exchanged shy smiles and blushed before Cassandra focused a sad smile on Jenkins and reached across the table to pat his hand gently. “You’re not living alone any more, and as much as you complain, I know you don’t dislike us _that_ much.”

He smirked at her for a brief moment. “Though a blight on my silence you may be, I do find the company…entertaining at times. Never tell Mr. Jones I told you that.”

Jake chuckled at him and nodded before removing his hand from Cassandra's back to cross it over his heart. “Tell him what?” He asked as he feigned ignorance.

“Wait,” Cassandra said suddenly with a horrified expression. “If you’ve lived for centuries and so have Morgan and Dulaque…does that mean that I—Jenkins, please tell me I am not immortal. Please tell me I did not trade dying before everyone I care about for outliving them all. I don’t want—I couldn’t—“

She cut off her own sentence to breathe deeply and calm herself down as Jake placed a soothing hand on her back again and watched her with concern.

This time it was Jenkins who covered Cassandra’s hand with his. “No, Ms. Cillian. You are not immortal if you do not wish to be. Certainly, like Morgan and Dulaque, you have the ability to live a great many years if you desired to. But this is something you would have to learn to achieve. Something you would have to work for, something that you _choose_. You could simply _not_ choose it and choose to age as naturally, though hopefully a great deal _more_ gracefully, as Mr. Stone here.”

Cassandra appeared to calm down at his words and giggled at his last sentence. Stone gave Jenkins an offended glare. Though, Jenkins suspected it was more playful than serious.

“I—I’m aging gracefully,” Stone said defensively.

“Of course, you are,” Jenkins said dryly. “Compared to some mortals. I’m sure.”


	4. Act 03: The Heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Ezekiel complete the Heist.

 

“You distract,” Ezekiel reminded Eve as they stepped through the Door. “I grab.”

She nodded just before Ezekiel disappeared from view. He hid way too well for her comfort. There weren’t even that many shadows around for him to hide in. Her instinct was to keep an eye on him at all times, and this situation made her realize Ezekiel Jones _let_ her keep an eye on him. He had the ability to slip out of her sight at any moment and yet more often than not he chose to stay visible. The question was: did he do it out of respect for her or for his own entertainment? That was a mystery she would most likely never solve.

Eve marched up to the Curator’s desk, which appeared to be more of a counter peering out of the special collections room. There was no way for her to get passed the Curator and into the room or for the Curator to leave the room without using the door on the wall to her right. It prevented someone from breezing through the room and snatching priceless items which worked to keep casual pickpockets at bay but would do nothing to deter a professional like Jones. The Curator looked up at her expectantly and she flashed her NATO badge at him with the confidence she’d earned over years of searching for dangerous people and weapons.

“Colonel Eve Baird, NATO Counter Terrorism Unit,” she said briskly. “I need to ask you a few questions.”

The older balding man lifted his chin and settled a critical gaze on her. “Bernard Thatch, White House Curator.” His voice sounded monotone and he looked very bored by her presence. Okay, so he was unflappable. That could work for her or against her. “How may I help you, Colonel?”

“Have you had any suspicious visitors recently?” Eve asked with a stern expression. Stern typically worked on unflappable people in her experience. It was intimidating yet disinterested. It implied she knew something he didn’t yet didn’t reveal what it could be.

“You mean like a freakishly tall NATO Colonel?” He asked with a ghost of a grin.

She made a mental note never to introduce Mr. Thatch to Jenkins. She had a feeling she’d end up punching one of them if they were ever in the same room together. “No, and you haven’t answered my question.”

The door to the room barely moved but Eve spotted a brief shadow behind Mr. Thatch just moments after. Ezekiel was in.

“Well,” Mr. Thatch said with a snobbish sniff. “That depends on your definition of suspicious, I suppose.”

“Out of the ordinary,” she clarified with an exasperated sigh.

“No,” he said with a huff. “No visitors out of the ordinary. Are we quite through?”

Over his shoulder Ezekiel appeared. She tried not to pay him obvious attention. He gave her a confused shrug of the shoulders and motioned to the room that surrounded him. There were too many artifacts. He didn’t know what to look for or where to find it.

“No,” Eve answered Mr. Thatch gruffly. “Fine, no out of the ordinary visitors. What about items? Did you receive anything odd in the last couple of days?”

He chuckled dryly. “Aside from an old ugly stick in a protective titanium case that was a rather horrifying gift from the French? No, nothing.”

Ezekiel nodded once he heard the description and disappeared again. The man huffed again and suddenly dropped a thick plastic binder onto the counter in front of her. It made a loud thud and she jumped in surprise as her attention was pulled back to the curator.

“There,” he said archly. “Look for yourself. That is the log of every item I have received in the past year. I have no time to assist you. I have the spoils of last months China Summit to catalogue.”

Just as he started to turn away from her the door to the room swayed slightly and Eve let out a tense breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Ezekiel was out.

“You do realize,” The Curator said as he walked toward a shelf in the back of the room and inspected a few items. “That every person and item in this building has been thoroughly searched by the Secret Service, don’t you? I believe _they_ would catch anything dangerous before it came this far.”

He turned with a conceited grin to gloat over the Colonel. However, she was nowhere to be found. He sighed tiredly and shook his head. 

“Why do I even bother speaking to Americans?” He asked the empty room.

* * *

 

“You sure that’s it?” Eve asked as Ezekiel carefully carried the long titanium case.

He nodded. “I opened it before I snatched it. It’s the same staff from the picture in Cassandra’s book.”

Eve gave him a small grin as they neared the Door. “Well, that went better than expected then.”

Ezekiel froze and then sighed in defeat. He motioned to the Door ahead of her. “You jinxed us.”

She followed his gaze and nearly groaned in frustration at the sight of a tall muscular dark skinned man standing in front of the door. Her eyes immediately traveled to his forearm and, as predicted, spotted the tell-tale snake tattoo. The man’s body language and stance told her he was well trained. Probably ex-military from some country or another. She could tell he wasn’t American. American Military had a completely different stance. Bottom line, though, he was Serpent Brotherhood and he was blocking their path to the Door.

“Do not let go of that staff,” Eve told Ezekiel with a resigned sigh. “Same as before. I distract, you get the Staff out of here. Clear?”

“I can’t leave you to fight this guy alone—“

“Jones,” she said through her teeth. “Do as your told. _For once_.” Eve turned to glared at the man in front of her and rested her hand on her gun. “You’re new,” she told him with a quirked brow.

“And _you_ must be The Guardian,” the man said with a grin.

“What gave me away?” She asked with a smirk. “The gun or the Thief?”

He ignored her question and aimed his own gun at Ezekiel. Eve chuckled in response which earned her a startled look from Ezekiel. It’s not often the sight of a gun caused a chuckle.

“Lamia never needed a gun,” Eve said as she removed her hand from her gun and crossed her arms over her chest. “Blades were more her style. Should that tell me something about your hand-to-hand combat skills?”

“The lack of a gun didn’t turn out so well for her in the end, did it?” the man asked with a roll of his eyes.

“I think her end had less to do with the lack of a gun and more to do with Dulaque stabbing her,” Ezekiel said dryly. “But what do I know? It’s not like I was there or anything.”

“Hand over the staff,” he said with a sneer. “Do that and _maybe_ I’ll let you live.”

“Highly unlikely,” Eve said with a scoff.

“Yes, I agree. It’s highly unlikely that I’ll let you live,” the man responded with a dark smirk.

Eve chuckled at him again and motioned to the gun in his hand. “No silencer on the gun,” she told him. “One shot and the Secret Service will come barreling down on us. Sort of bad form for a mercenary to get caught, isn’t it?”

The man didn’t move or speak. His lack of a retort was telling enough. He hadn’t thought of that.

“Since we both know you can’t risk that, why don’t you put away the gun and fight me for it,” Eve told him.

“What?” He asked with a furrowed brow.

She gave him a challenging look and smiled as she rolled up her sleeves. “I said, _fight me_. Do I need to say it again?”

As the man stared at her and considered his options, Eve back her and Ezekiel up several feet. She took a fighting stance in front of the young thief and motioned the mercenary forward. She gave Ezekiel a brief meaningful look. If she lured the henchman away from the door then Ezekiel would immediately make a break for it. Ezekiel huffed at her but gave her a subtle nod in response. He didn’t like it, but he’d do it.

As predicted the man took several steps forward and Ezekiel ran to the door. He pulled the door open and burst through as the henchman attempted to reach for him. Out of the corner of his eye Ezekiel saw Eve land a kick to the man’s face and winced. _Ouch_.

He skidded to a stop inside the door and then blinked at the sight that greeted him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Standing on the other end of the room, with a sword pointed at Jenkins’s throat, was Dulaque. Both Cassandra and Jake stood several feet away with their hands held out in front of them to indicate that weren’t planning on making any sudden moves.

“When this is over I need to have a serious look at the security for this place,” Ezekiel said as he glared at Dulaque. “How do you keep getting in here?”

“I knew I could count on The Librarians to do all the hard work for me. Hand it over,” Dulaque said as he held out one hand for the Staff. “The Grail may lengthen his life, thief, but Galeas does still bleed.” As if to prove his statement Dulaque added more pressure to the blade. Cassandra gasped and shut her eyes tightly.

Dulaque gave her an apologetic look. “Do forgive me, Lady Vivien.”

Cassandra opened her eyes and glared at him. “Okay, for the fifth time. I am _not_ Vivien.”

Dulaque chuckled at her. “We’ll see. Mr. Jones, the staff?”

“Do not hand that over to him,” Jenkins said angrily. “Under no circumstances should the Serpent Brotherhood be allowed to have that staff.” Jenkins gave Ezekiel an impatient look as the blade pressed closer into his throat. “ _No circumstances_.”

“So heroic,” Dulaque said with a chuckle. “It’s all glory and martyrdom with you, isn’t it? What is the point of glory without power, _Jenkins_? I couldn’t use the Loom to bring back the Camelot we knew but with that staff I can create my _own_ Camelot. A greater and more powerful Camelot with the magic of the world in my control. It’s nearly perfect.”

Jake took a step forward and Dulaque made a shallow cut across Jenkins’s throat. It wasn’t serious but it was a warning. A precursor to something much worse.

“Mr. Stone, I would stay put if I were you. You wouldn’t want my hand to slip, would you?” Dulaque asked with a grin. “Now,” he said with a tired sigh as he focused his glare on Ezekiel. “The Staff, please. I am getting impatient.”

Ezekiel glanced over to Stone and Cassandra for an answer on what to do.

“If he gets that staff, Mr. Jones, we’re all dead anyway,” Jenkins pleaded once more with a huff.

“Do you _ever_ stop talking?” Dulaque asked him with a sigh.

Jake shook his head and gave Ezekiel a resigned look. They had no choice. It was Jenkins or the Staff and none of them could make the decision to kill Jenkins. Suddenly, Cassandra went rigid and then collapsed. Jake looked alarmed but caught her easily.

“Cassie?” He asked as he tried to shake her gently. “Cassie?” She didn’t answer or stir and Jake’s brow furrowed with worry. “Cassandra? Sweetheart?”

Ezekiel’s eyebrows flew upward at the endearment. Sweetheart?

In a flash of white Cassandra was up on her feet again. Everyone in the room jumped in surprise. A glow of white blinding light filled her eyes and surrounded her like a backlight. Jake and Ezekiel gave each other knowing looks. They’d seen this before. In Lima. Just like the last time Cassandra’s body began to levitate off the ground until she hung in the air in the center of the room with her red waves billowing around her.

Dulaque looked frightened by the sight but not surprised. He threw the sword aside and bowed immediately. “My Lady.”

Jenkins picked up the sword Dulaque dropped and swiftly moved away from him. Jake and Jenkins crossed the room to Ezekiel and the Staff. Once they were grouped together Jake glared at Jenkins.

“I thought you said this couldn’t happen,” He said through a tense jaw.

“I said I _thought_ it couldn’t happen. Vivien is raw magic. With raw magic anything is _possible_ ,” Jenkins said as he watched Cassandra’s floating figure in concern.

“Leave this place,” Vivien said as she glared sternly at Dulaque through Cassandra’s eyes. “Leave this place or I will send you away. And when I send people away they do not end up somewhere pleasant. I am sure you remember, Lancelot.”

“But I could bring back the Shining City. I could bring about a great revival of—“

“Have you not caused enough trouble for one lifetime?” Vivien asked. “Was it not enough that you aided the fall of Camelot in the first place? Do not waste your life attempting to relive days that can never be again. Camelot was destroyed and can never be as it was again. What you want is not Camelot. You want to rule with the weight and might of magic behind you. You have all the makings of a tyrant and I cannot allow this to happen. You had so much potential to do good deeds but you squandered that. You may be able to live forever but you cannot turn back the hands of Fate. I believe you learned that the hard way. Did you not?”

The Back Door burst open and Eve came stumbling through with her hair wild and her body bruised but not beaten. She immediately spotted Cassandra floating in the middle of the room and squinted at the light. “What the hell?”

“If you leave now I will be merciful,” Vivien said in a commanding tone as she motioned to the door. “You will not be allowed to return here.”

Dulaque stood, frozen, staring up at Vivien.

“I raised you,” Vivien said with a sad sigh. “Do not force me to _end you_ as well.”

When he still did not move Vivien began to float toward him. As soon as she headed toward him, Dulaque fled without a single look back.

“Who knew he could run like that?” Ezekiel asked with a smirk. “Actually, who knew he could run at all?”

“This may be an obvious question, but…is that _Cassandra_ floating like a ghost in the middle of the room?” Eve asked as her eyes stayed glued to the red head floating in midair.

“Technically, it’s Vivien,” Jenkins said with a sigh.

“Last time this happened she ran away with Cassandra’s body,” Jake said urgently. “I won’t let--“ he stopped and took a deep breath. “ _We won’t_ let that happen again.”

Vivien slowly floated down to the floor and as her feet touched the ground Jenkins bowed briefly.

“My lady,” he said with a blank expression.

“Galeas,” she said with a polite nod. “I cannot maintain this for very long.” She turned to Jake and smiled warmly at him. “Do not worry, I will return her to you. I merely thought you could use my assistance. If it comforts you at all I did ask her permission.”

Stone said nothing but gave her an impassive look.

Vivien chuckled at him. “She was right. She told me that wouldn’t help.”

“So, you done?” Jake asked with a glare. “Last time you did this, Cassandra was passed out for a full day.”

“Almost, Mr. Stone,” Vivien said as she gave him an amused smile. “My aren’t you the protective one.” She turned back to Jenkins. “This place needs better protection.”

“We do have security measures in place—“ Jenkins began to say.

“Not enough of them. Cassandra tells me this is not the first time Dulaque has simply walked into The Annex. Your measures do not appear to work on him, do they?” Vivien asked knowingly. “I will cast a protection spell. It should keep the likes of Morgan and Dulaque from barging in as they please. Once I have done that, I will return the girl to you.”

“How do we know you’ll keep your word?” Ezekiel asked with a small glare of his own. “That’s my friend you’re wearing, you know.”

Vivien chuckled at him and patted Ezekiel’s cheek. Ezekiel tensed and concentrated on staying completely still. Supposedly, Vivien was one of the good guys but she was too powerful to be trusted. He learned at an early age that power corrupted everyone eventually.

“You try not to care, Thief, but it is a losing battle,” Vivien said with a kind smile. “You already care deeply for these people.”

“You didn’t answer his question,” Eve said with a stern glare.

“Faith and trust, Colonel,” Vivien said simply.

With that Vivian turned and headed for the entrance to the Annex. She didn’t carry herself like Cassandra. There was no bounce in her step and no warmth to her expressions. Vivien moved smoothly, effortlessly. Her expressions were all knowing and clearly held secrets none of them would ever be privileged to know. Someone else’s presence with a familiar face made all of them uncomfortable. No one talked while Vivien wandered around the Annex mumbling latin and waving her arms. They all exchanged tense glances. Jacob and Jenkins took turns pacing the length of the room worriedly. Twenty minutes later the spell appeared to be complete and Vivien came to stand in front of Jacob.

“She will need lots of rest,” Vivien told him. “I have no doubt you will take good care of her.”

There was another flash of white and the glow that had been surrounding Cassandra for the last half hour vanished. She gasped loudly as the blue returned to her eyes and then she immediately slumped into Jacob. Her heavy lidded eyes met his and he breathed a sigh of relief. Cassandra was back. _His_ Cassandra was back.

“Hi,” she said softly with a weak smile.

He smiled warmly at her in return and held her tighter against him. “Hi. You okay?”

She nodded slowly but said nothing. He noticed she was gripping his shoulders tightly as if she couldn’t quite stand on her own.

“Tired,” she said finally. “Very tired.”

She went completely slack in his arms as she passed out and he adjusted his hold to lift her.

Jenkins pointed to the hallway that extended past the kitchen. “The crash room is right where we left it last time she--”

“I remember,” Jacob muttered as he walked off with Cassandra in his arms.


	5. Tag: Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team reacts to the recent events of obtaining the Staff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for this episode! The next one will probably be longer than this one as I've been dying to write it for months now! See you guys on the next one!  
> Enjoy!  
> angellwings

 

Eve and Jenkins and Ezekiel watched Jacob leave with Cassandra before Eve turned to Jenkins with an urgent look.

“Should we expect that to happen more often? I thought Vivien was dead?” Eve asked in concern.

“Vivien will never truly die. Clearly, she still remains in Cassandra’s consciousness somewhere. She’s weak, though, very weak. She won’t be able to do that again for a long while,” Jenkins said thoughtfully. “And it appears she only did so because of the danger we were in.”

Eve sighed and glanced up at the ceiling of The Annex. “I could really use that extra Guardian I was promised right about now. For times, _exactly like this_.” She then turned back to Jenkins. “What happened while we were gone?”

“Dulaque and his henchman surprised us. I tried to fight him but it seems he’s brushed up on his skills as a swordsman since last we met,” Jenkins said with a sigh as he touched the small cut on his neck. “He sent Talos after you two and then stayed behind in case he failed.”

“Talos?” She asked. “That was his name? Never quite caught it during our… _struggle_. I was a bit disappointed actually. Guy could stand to learn a thing or two from Lamia.”

Ezekiel cleared his throat and the two looked over at him expectantly. He held out the case the Staff was in to Jenkins. “You may want to put this in a safe place.”

“Oh! Yes, of course,” Jenkins said as he took the case from Ezekiel. “This should be locked up in the Library right away. Excuse me.”

Jenkins headed through the double doors to the Main Library and left Eve and Ezekiel alone.

“My first case realizing I actually care about you people and three of you end up in serious danger,” Ezekiel said with a gulp and a frazzled sigh. “Is caring about people always this stressful?”

Despite the grave look on Ezekiel’s face Eve couldn’t help but chuckle at him.

“Yes, always, but the stress comes with perks too,” Eve told him with a small smile. “You’ll see.” She paused and then hesitantly patted his shoulder with a proud grin. “Good job today, by the way. We got the Staff and kept it away from the bad guys. I call that a win.”

“It doesn’t feel like a win,” Ezekiel said with a furrowed brow. “We got the Staff but I feel like we just have even more to worry about now.”

Eve nodded in agreement and gave him a sympathetic look. “That’s ‘cause we do. The Serpent Brotherhood is alive and well, and apparently so is Vivien. And we still have Morgan le Fay hanging over our heads. We won the battle but the war is still ongoing.”

“Well, that’s fun,” Ezekiel said sarcastically. “As are most situations that involve the battle and war metaphor.”

Eve smirked at him but didn’t bother to respond. The kid had a point.

He sighed and then pointed to the hallway that led to the crash room. “I’m going to go check on Stone and Cassandra.”

Eve nodded at him briefly before she walked over to her desk and began scribbling in a small notebook. He wasn’t sure what she was doing but she seemed focused on it now. When Ezekiel arrived at the room he found Jake tucking the blankets around Cassandra. He watched silently as Jake placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“She’s gonna be okay, you know,” Ezekiel said from the doorway.

Stone tensed for a moment and Ezekiel knew he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. It didn’t matter that he and Cassandra had all but given themselves completely away back there. Stone still felt they couldn’t know. Ezekiel wondered who’s idea it was to keep it a secret and he hoped, for Cassandra’s sake, it wasn’t Jake’s.

“I know she’ll be okay,” Jake said gruffly as he stepped back to join Ezekiel in the doorway. “I just wish she didn’t have to deal with this in the first place. She has headaches and dizzy spells an nose bleeds and—“

“No seizures in a while though,” Ezekiel pointed out with a small encouraging smile.

“No, no seizures,” Stone said with a scoff. “Just a whole new consciousness inside of her head that talks to her and could potentially take ov—“ Stone cut off his own sentence as if he didn’t want to finish it. As if he didn’t want to even _think_ about what he was going to say out of fear of making it come true.

Ezekiel knew exactly how he felt and what he was trying his hardest not to say. They fell into a tense silence as they both stared worriedly at Cassandra’s unconscious form on the bed in front of them. It was true they cared about her in very different ways but they both cared for her deeply.

Finally, after a long moment of thoughts that spiraled into worst case scenarios and feelings of helplessness, Jake spoke with a voice that was thick with emotion. “What if the next time Vivien shows up _Cassandra_ doesn’t make it back?”

For the life of him, Ezekiel couldn’t think of a response. He had no idea what to say or how to reply. He gulped back his own fears and worries and hesitated a moment before he placed, what he hoped was, a supportive hand on Stone’s shoulder. He had no words so his small gesture would have to do. He hoped Stone understood that small gestures weren’t really his strong suit. Jacob Stone’s fears were realistic ones. What he suggested was well within the realm of possibility and that terrified Ezekiel too. It terrified him more than anything had in a very long time.

And the worst part was, there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.


End file.
